The Summer festival was one Winry anticipated every year, but the preparations she could do without. Like the past few years, she'd been startled awake by a cacophony of drills and hammers before the sun had even risen past the horizon.
It hadn't helped that she'd tossed and turned all night long thinking about the things Ed had told her the previous day.
Her mind was reeling and spinning like clockwork; though she'd become very acquainted to the feeling over the past week. Every time she thought she had finally understood the brothers to some extent, they'd always throw something completely new at her.
She could hardly complain, though. The distraction was welcoming, all things considered.
The fantasy story she'd stumbled into had begun to ease away into something a bit more… real, but she valued the authenticity more than anything else. Seeing Ed actually open up about things was surprising enough, and she only hoped she'd be able to keep his trust in the future.
The future. Whatever that held.
Winry rubbed at her eyes as she replayed the previous day's talk in her head, and froze as a quick image flashed through her brain. She'd… kissed him, hadn't she?
She thought back to the way he'd looked back at her–one of the fondest expressions she'd ever seen– and flopped back onto her bed with her covers pulled over her head.
Of course she had to go and fall in love with a merman of all things.
Of course.
Winry didn't take long to push her morning thoughts far back into her brain and freshen up for the long day ahead of her.
As Resembool's only automail engineer, it was up to her to use the festival as a way to promote her business to visitors from around Amestris. Besides its large fishing industry, the Summer Solstice festival was the only thing Resembool was known for, and Winry would take all the chances she could to get her name known and gain more loyal clients.
Ed and Al were preoccupied with taking care of Fish—she'd laughed until her stomach hurt when she'd discovered what they'd named the poor cat—so Winry had some time to herself to set up before inevitably spending the rest of the night showing them around. Granted, with their company, this was guaranteed to be the most fun festival she could ever imagine.
Finally satisfied with the banners she'd put up, she turned on her heel to be met with the sight of Paninya's face inches from her own.
"Whatcha thinkin' about?" She tilted her head like she hadn't nearly caused Winry to have a heart attack, rocking on her heels without a care in the world.
"Will you stop doing that?!" Winry put a hand on her chest and tried to steady her breaths. "I don't know why everyone's been so insistent on sneaking up on me lately."
Paninya raised an eyebrow. "You mean it's not just me?" She looked up like she often did when she was thinking, and soon her eyes lit up with understanding. "It's that new guy you've been hanging around with, isn't it? C'mon Winry, you gotta tell me the details."
Winry smoothed her expression into something unreadable. "It's not like that."
"Maybe not, but don't think I don't see the way you've been spacing out lately. You know I'm always here to back you up, right?"
It was true that Paninya was always incredible at giving advice. Winry liked to think she was fairly good at expressing her emotions, but Paninya was so observant that she often caught the things Winry would never think to notice. She'd always remind her when to slow down and take breaks, which was something she was always grateful for. If there was anything Winry was bad at, it was worrying too much about other people and not enough about herself.
"Well, there's not much to say," she shrugged. "You should know enough by now anyways, with the way you and Alphonse are constantly working at the bakery."
Paninya sighed and collapsed onto a nearby ledge. Winry followed, stretching her legs out in front of her. "He's a sweetheart, sure, but he doesn't say anything. It's like he's military trained to avoid questions or something."
"Harsh, but I see where you're coming from," Winry said. "They've just… got a lot going on right now. They're not used to the countryside yet."
"I still think there's something fishy going on with them," Paninya grumbled. Winry had to keep herself from snorting at the ironic comment. "Especially the short one."
She couldn't hold back a chuckle that time. "At this point I'm just surprised you two haven't gotten into a fight yet."
"Wouldn't wanna bruise up that pretty face of his," Paninya scoffed. "Even I can see why you're obsessed with him, no matter how much of a dork he seems." Her expression shifted as she uncharacteristically bit her lip. "Just… be careful, alright? I don't wanna see you get hurt again."
"I trust him," Winry said without hesitation, ignoring how her face had begun to heat up. "And he trusts me, too."
Paninya gave her a light slap on the back. "Good, then I've done all I can do. Well, besides cheer in the background when you two smooch tonight."
Winry groaned, burying her face into her hands. "Why do you always have to ruin the moment?"
She waited for a snarky response, but received nothing but giggles instead. Hesitantly, she lifted her head and peeked through her fingers to see what Paninya had found so hilarious.
Ah.
Somehow she'd missed the sound of footsteps entirely, because Ed stood right in front of her, staring down at her with a curious expression on his face.
She yelped and tumbled backwards off the ledge into an unceremonious heap, ears now ringing with two pairs of laughter.
"The hell is up with you?" he choked out between laughs.
She shot the harshest glare she could muster at Paninya, who feigned fear with a hand over her mouth.
At that moment, Winry was sure that if Ed and Paninya ever managed to join forces, it would be a thousand times more terrifying than if they continued to butt heads.
"That's my cue to leave." Paninya shot her a little wave and winked before speeding off, leaving Winry in her pathetic pile on the ground.
She turned to see Ed holding out a hand for her, clearly trying to stifle his laughter. She appreciated the effort, at least.
"I don't wanna hear it. If I remember right, it was you who's fallen dozens of times this week," she said, taking his hand.
"That's why it's so funny." He pulled her up swiftly, wobbling on his own feet after she'd risen. It was true that his sense of balance had improved significantly since the first day he'd learned to walk. Winry felt a small sense of pride to even see him walking on his own without so much as a stumble.
Just the thought of him enjoying the surface was enough to bring a smile back to her face. It was the festival after all, and staying grumpy wouldn't be beneficial for anyone.
"Alright alright, you can have this one." She brushed the dirt off her clothes and straightened up, glancing around for Al. "What're you doing here so early anyways? I thought you and Al were watching Fish."
"Al is watching Fish. He told me to go outside and be useful instead of continuously scaring the cat." He rolled his eyes. "S'not my fault that furball wants to scratch my eyes out."
Based on glimpses she'd caught of him "playing" with the cat, Winry hardly needed to imagine it. "I've seen how you try to handle her, and I'm surprised she hasn't scratched you by now."
Ed frowned. "I think your land mammals are just intimidated by me."
"Right, I forgot you're the world famous spoon wielder," she chuckled. "Oh no, utensils! I'm so scared!"
"You're mean, you know that? I'll have you know I can be plenty intimidating when needed." Ed huffed, eyes wandering to look at the various stands and signs the townspeople had started to set up. "Besides that, what's this whole festival thing, anyways? I don't get it."
The Summer festival was so famous across Amestris that Winry had almost forgotten that the brothers would have no idea what it was. She was sure Al had learned a bit about it when working at the bakery, but she doubted Ed had done much to learn about local traditions when he was always cooped up in the library.
"Want me to show you around? You just have to promise to help me set up more banners later."
He nodded, excitement replacing what was left of his previously surly expression.
Winry began leading him through the various stands and booths set up across the town, dotting the streets like confetti with their colorful signs and creative assemblies. She doubted it was as impressive as what Xerxes looked like, but it seemed its charm wasn't lost on Ed. He was as infatuated with the scenery as he had been the first time, stopping at nearly every booth to lean in as if studying a new specimen every time.
She had no doubts about Ed's obsession with science, seeing the way he'd analyze anything unfamiliar to him while simultaneously shutting out the outside world. It was the same as how she reacted to automail, so she understood his passion without any judgment. It was endearing, though she wouldn't dare admit it aloud.
"So people just come here to eat a bunch?" He asked, looking at what must've been the tenth food cart of the day.
"Pretty much, although there's also games and crafts for the kids. The main event is the dance in the town square, once the sun sets." She ignored the familiar flutter that'd begun to dance around in her stomach. "The whole town joins together for it, so it's a lot of fun."
"Dance, huh? Never done that before." He put a hand on his chin. "It's something you do with legs?"
"Yup!" Winry affirmed. "I'll show you how, don't worry."
He gave a sharp nod, placing a hand on his hip. "We better finish up preparations then. We gotta have enough time to show them we're the best."
"It's not a competition, you know," she chuckled, starting the trek back to her shop with Ed close at her side.
The warm feeling that'd sprouted in her stomach had begun to blossom, with the thought alone of the dance enough to make her feel buzzed with energy. For years, she'd sat alone on the sidelines, blueprinting automail with the occasional greeting from Paninya or a client. Never had she imagined she'd be in the square with everyone else, dancing alongside someone that wasn't just joining her out of pity.
She'd always pretended that the loneliness never bothered her, but the hollow feeling she got at night when the town went to sleep had never truly dissipated. After losing Granny, she'd thought her only company would be that of her machinery and tools.
Now, with new promises to latch onto and a warm presence by her side, she couldn't help but feel like that empty space was slowly becoming full again.
"Everything okay?" Ed's voice cut into her thoughts, bringing her back to the present.
"Better than okay," she grinned, pulling him ahead into a town blooming with life.
Ed had decided that heat was not something he enjoyed about the surface. Even after Winry had braided his hair up he still felt that uncomfortable wetness on his skin that she insisted was normal.
He wanted nothing more than to take a quick swim, but well, that wasn't something he could do with the town crawling with more and more humans by the hour.
Winry's comforting presence was all he had to keep him grounded, because as it was the growing amount of humans was enough to make fearsome memories resurface. He knew his anxiety must've been obvious after a while, with the way she kept shooting him worried glances, but he was grateful she hadn't brought anything up.
All he could do was remember he was safe around her. That nobody knew who—or what—he was, and as long as he didn't royally screw up, they never would.
As much as he hated it, the heat was a distraction, and the work he'd been doing was enough to make him feel somewhat useful despite it all. With the amount of signs and banners they'd put up, Ed would be shocked if any festival goer hadn't heard of Rockbell Automail by the end of the day.
With the sun high in the sky, the festivities had finally begun, and the amount of activity that had filled the town was overwhelming enough that he didn't even know where to start. He only hoped Al would return from the bakery's stand soon enough.
Ed was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts by a faint tug on his shirt. He looked down, surprised to see a little girl looking up at him.
"Um. Do you need something?" he said, internally wincing at his tone. As a prince, he'd had to interact with kids a fair amount for special events, but he wasn't sure how to speak when he wasn't viewed in that position. Winry was away talking with a potential client, so he was alone for this one.
Great. Once again, he wished Al were here.
"Juice." She pushed a small bottle of liquid at him that he assumed was meant for drinking, refusing to pull it away until he took it.
"Thanks." He glanced around for a parent or guardian, hoping that he wouldn't be stuck babysitting some lost child for the rest of the day. As if on cue, a tall man with strange pieces of glass over his eyes approached them, resting a hand on the little girl's head.
"Elicia, what did I tell you about talking to strangers?"
She pouted, crossing her arms in the cutest act of defiance he'd ever seen. "Wanted to share. His hair is pretty."
The man practically melted at her response, ruffling her hair with a bit too much force. Ed wasn't sure what to do besides stand there awkwardly, because like hell was he going to initiate conversation when he was alone like this. The only other human he'd talked to so far had been Paninya, and Winry had done most of the talking then.
"Sorry about that," the man spoke up. "The name's Maes Hughes, and this little angel right here is Elicia. I don't recall seeing you around these parts before, are you here for the festival?"
Cover story. He had one of those, right? Winry had drilled it into him after his last slip up.
"Edward Elric," he supplied. "I, uh, actually moved here recently. I've been helping Winry Rockbell with her automail shop."
The man, Maes Hughes, raised his eyebrows at that. "Really? I've heard great things about that shop, though I haven't been myself. My family stays here during the summer and helps with the fishery. If you ever need extra work, we could always use the help."
Ed tried to suppress a shudder at the thought of working at a fishery of all things. "I'll… keep that in mind, thanks." He snuck a glance at Winry in hopes she'd come and save him, but she was far too invested in whatever gearhead nonsense she'd gotten talking about. He looked back to Maes, eyes drawn to something strapped to his back that he hadn't noticed before.
It looked wooden, with taut metal strings across the front of it. He'd never seen anything like it before, and it seemed his staring hadn't gone unnoticed.
"Oh, my guitar? We've been playing some music to raise some funds for the school. You're welcome a song, if you'd like."
Ed quickly shook his head. He wouldn't even know where to begin with a contraption like that, and he doubted he'd be able to use it properly with a single arm, anyways.
"I don't play."
Maes paused for a moment. "Can you sing? I can play, but I'm not much for a voice, and my darling Gracia's not great with performing in front of crowds."
It was hardly even a question. Singing came as naturally to him as swimming; it was essential to merfolk. Their language alone was a hybrid of speech and song, after all. Being royalty, it was the one thing that he and Al had always excelled at.
That being said, he knew that performing in front of humans in their own language was something vastly different. It would bring attention, which was the one thing he was currently trying to avoid.
Before he had the chance to decline, Elicia grabbed his shirt again, looking up at him with big green eyes. "Please?"
Ed always seemed to find a way to stick out, one way or another. It's not like a single song would hurt, right?
He sighed, accepting his fate. "Sure, although I don't know many songs." Human songs, he left unsaid.
"Yay!" Elicia exclaimed, pulling him over to a nearby area decorated with small chairs. A kind looking woman gave him a curt wave as he was promptly pushed down into a seat near the front.
Maes hurried over and settled into the chair next to him with a large grin plastered on his face. "Any old chantey you've heard is fine, and I'll supply the chords. Just make sure you're close enough to the microphone, alright?"
Ed frankly had no idea what Maes was talking about. He assumed the "micro phone" was the stick thingy in front of him, but he'd just have to… guess when it came to the other words.
He thought back to any human songs he could remember hearing, and finally a familiar tune found its way into his head. It was a lonesome song his mother had sung to him, using human words rather than mermish ones. It had stuck with him for years, but he'd only ever hummed it in the past.
Ed took a deep breath and leaned in close to the "micro phone." A small crowd had begun to assemble in the square ahead of him, so he opted to close his eyes and imagine solitude instead.
He began to sing, letting his mind drift back to Xerxes as the sounds flowed naturally from his lips just as they did undersea. He imagined the Xerxes that shone golden and bright, with his mother's influence bringing hope and joy to all that dwelled within it. It was as nostalgic as it was bittersweet, but he welcomed the image regardless.
The light thrums of the guitar soon joined him in tandem, adding an element to the song that was unfamiliar but pleasing all the same. The longer he sang, the more his stress slowly ebbed away, leaving him feeling light and free just as he had when he'd first come to the surface. He'd forgotten just how healing it was to sing for himself, rather than to please the kingdom and its officials.
If he tried hard enough, he could almost imagine his mom singing beside him, lulling him to sleep after yet another story about the surface. For years he'd felt ashamed; guilt consuming him at the thought of how he'd failed her and Al. He'd lost track of his grief long ago, letting it batter him like rough waters as he wondered again and again if what he was doing was what she would've wanted. If he'd just done something wrong, because surely she wouldn't have spoken so highly of a species that wanted him dead.
He wondered, now, if she'd be proud of how far he'd come.
If she could see how Al's eyes lit up under the stars as he stood on his own; her promise of lands full of opportunity finally becoming his reality.
If she knew how Ed had found someone that encompassed her values of love in every way; sharing it like she had an infinite amount to give.
How he'd felt happiness for himself, rather than for others.
Wherever she was, he hoped he could reach her.
The song seemed to end just as fast as it'd begun, and as he let out the final note, he sucked in a deep breath to compose himself from the train of thoughts he'd fallen down. Having gotten lost in the music, he'd ended up tuning the world out completely. Slowly, he reopened his eyes in hopes that he hadn't done anything completely different than what he'd been expected to.
What he hadn't anticipated were dozens and dozens of eyes on him, with a crowd that'd grown exponentially compared to the one he'd last seen. Winry had shown up at some point too, along with the entire damn town, based on how things looked. Al was the only one who didn't look shocked out of his mind.
Shit. He was almost positive now that he'd done something that humans did not.
He sucked in a breath, preparing to get up and get out before something bad inevitably happened. Just as he'd started to stand, the crowd broke into applause, seemingly broken out of the stupor they'd been in before.
At this point, he was more confused than anything else.
Maes broke the silence, gawking at him like he'd just spilled the secrets of the universe. "That was just…"
"Incredible," the woman beside him finished, eyes just as wide and filled with awe.
Okay. So he'd definitely done something abnormal. At least now he knew it was a positive effect, rather than a negative one.
"Thanks?" he replied more like a question, glancing around at the many faces in the crowd as the cheering slowly died down. Winry's blonde hair stood out among the rest, and he watched as she pushed through the townsfolk to finally reach him.
As soon as she found her way to him, she grabbed his arm and pulled him away from where others could hear. "You didn't tell me you could do that!"
He tilted his head, still genuinely confused at how that many people had manifested out of nowhere. "Do what? Why's everyone acting so… weird?"
"Your voice!" she stressed. "It's like… magical or something."
He blinked, unsure what that had to do with anything. "Is that… a good thing?"
"Yes! Well… I think so? You basically had the whole festival drawn to you as soon as you started singing." By the way she was acting, whatever it was must've worked on her too. She bit her lip, pausing before continuing. "It must be a mer-thing."
He shrugged, unsure how else to respond. "It's just normal for us."
"Well, it was breathtaking, if that's what's normal for you. I've never heard anything so beautiful." She met his eyes for a fraction of a second, then sharply looked away to twirl a piece of hair between her fingers. "I mean– I just wasn't expecting that from you. You know, being such a dork and all."
"I don't know if that was supposed to be a compliment or an insult, but I'll take it," Ed scoffed, ignoring the way his heart skipped a beat.
Before Winry could say more, Maes practically barreled into him, crushing him in an awkward side hug. "Thank you so much! Look at how much we raised from that song alone!" He held up a large jar full of coins and paper bills, and Ed couldn't help but smile at the sight.
"It was nothing, really."
"It was amazing. You were a great help." He beamed.
Ed rubbed the back of his neck, ignoring Winry's smug side-eye. "Happy to help. Next time you need it, just let me know."
"Will do!" He nodded enthusiastically, running back to the woman Ed could only assume was his wife.
In all the chaos, Al had managed to push his way over to him as well, already smirking like he tended to do when he was proud of him. "Never thought I'd see you do something like that, brother."
"What? You think I can't be helpful?"
"Don't get me wrong, you help people all the time," Al affirmed. "It's just normally in your classic 'Ed way' and not like… that."
For the week he'd spent on the surface doing nothing but reading, spending time with Winry, and making sure Al was comfortable, he had to admit it felt a little nice to do something for someone else, for a change. (If saving a human from drowning didn't count as doing something for someone.) He'd been able to share a piece of his mom with what she'd shared so lovingly with him, and that alone was enough to make it worth it.
The fact that he didn't have to completely hide everything about himself made him feel less wary about a future on the surface, for both him and Al. It made him think that maybe… just maybe, Winry wasn't the only human worth trusting, either.
It would still take time to adjust, no doubt, but that little slice of optimism made him anticipate the upcoming festival even further.
Winry seemed to have the same idea, based on the way she was smiling.
"Nothing wrong with a little change," he said, meeting Al's eyes. "But that doesn't mean I don't wanna get away from all these people. We still have a whole festival to enjoy, don't we?"
The two agreed, leading him ahead through the crowd of people that all turned to face him as he passed.
For once, Ed hardly noticed the stares.
chantey is back! i'm so happy to be writing this again, and i apologize for the gigantic break between updates. i've actually written almost the entire festival arc already, but it was so long i had to split it in half. the second one should be up soon, but i hope you enjoy this first part in the meantime! thank you so much for sticking with me for this, i appreciate every bit of feedback very much :)
for the song ed sings, you can really imagine anything you'd like! however, i have to mention the song this fic was named after, which is "chantey" by AKMU. the tune is really pretty, and i definitely used it as inspiration for the scene in this chapter lol
if you'd like to see some amazing artwork for this fic, check out the link i posted in this chapter on ao3!